


Monster

by frogfarm



Category: Angel: the Series, Firefly, Fray
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-06-01
Updated: 2006-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-29 11:45:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5126324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frogfarm/pseuds/frogfarm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Serenity picks up a new passenger. River may not be a Slayer, but Dana needs help regardless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Monster

**Author's Note:**

> Post-Big Damn Movie/post-"Damage", with a tip of the hat to Fray.

Though she didn't know it, Inara first met her sitting in the co-pilot's seat.

Or to be more precise, heard. Unable to sleep, the Companion had wandered up to the bridge to watch River's hands dance over the instruments, sliding into the other seat after some attempts at conversation, undeterred by silence. It's nice, actually, to get no reaction from the resident psychic. Certainly River would run her off if it got too bad, if her thoughts were still as noisy as they must have been since her flight from the training house. After the chaos and bloodshed, it's as peaceful as things are like to be.

And as they sit gazing out into the black, River's up and bolted from the bridge in an eyeblink, rapid sound of her boots fading down the hall. Inara has an instant to be confused, and to fear.

Then she hears the scream.

**

He'd just wanted to do a little lifting, though free weights were safer with Shepherd out of the picture. And Wash, well -- too late now. Jayne didn't like thinking on that at all, kept getting too worked up and had to concentrate on not pushing himself, hurting something that would keep him out of the action.

Be plenty of it, after the sizable rock they've thrown at the hornet's nest. Not that he'd cotton to it, especial to Mal, but it's a righteous gutbuster; Alliance hotter on their trail than ever, too cautious to mention so much as their names on the nightly casts. Brings back memories of that ruttin' statue as well, which ain't so amusing.

A thud -- crate falling over? -- and as he looks up, a noise like an animal in pain.

"Moonbrain?" He sets down the weights, rests one hand on his pistol. "I swear, girl, if you're up to your tricks --"

In the darkened corner, something snarls.

**

Simon had been on his way to bed after an exhausting day. River's lucidity is near constant since Miranda, her mood often genuinely happy, but over the last week she has slowly relapsed; not necessarily to cussing and hurling about of things, just wandering through the ship, staring unsmiling at the walls and space around her, responsive enough to queries to nod or shake her head after some repetition. He tries to think of his sister in less clinical terms, not just a case to be treated, but the years apart and damage done cast a gulf between them.

And there is Kaylee, distraction enough before they shared a bed, now more beautiful and confounding than ever. He stops outside their door, admiring the hand-painted sign he never gets tired of seeing. Soon she'll be done with the nightly syscheck, and she'd made it clear she expected to find him already unwrapped. Apart from her sheets.

The strange scream startles him from his reverie.

Next comes Jayne's yell, and a shot.

**

Zoe had been there right with River, constantly watching to try and pick up on whatever had the girl spooked. Mal finally threatened all manner of dire punishment if his first mate didn't go and have a laydown, and though the bed's still too big she'd managed to fall into restless sleep. But battle instinct brings her awake at the first sound of ruckus, and a second later she's up with her sawed-off, listening at the door.

She glances at the intercom, almost expecting River's voice from the speaker; hears muffled scraping, getting closer. Suddenly she realizes it's in the air duct above her room, swings up and tracks the movement. Another hunter or Operative, she'll gladly shoot first, though only if there's no choice -- talk about expensive repairs, and she'll never hear the end from Kaylee, though Mal will just frown and say nothing. Won't even take it out of her pay, and she just might have to deck him for that kindness.

The motion stops, hesitates. Her trigger finger twitches, and whatever it is scrabbles frantically the other way.

Toward the ship's tail.

**

He enters the hold to find Jayne in a crumpled heap, prized stainless steel shotgun beside him twisted nearly in half. The merc raises his head, gasping in pain; something about some crazygirl attackin' him, _again_ , and Mal's rather tickled and instantly on guard. Grew up with strong women, even fought alongside them, but little albatross's display in the bar, on Miranda, is something he's still adjusting to even as he helps her explore its limits. Her potential.

Jayne sits up, one arm stiff. Might be broke.

"River?"

A shake of the head. "She come in flyin'. Saved me." Pride and wonder shine through the pain. "Followed her."

He points to the nearby grate; torn loose from the wall, twisted like his stainless. Mal moves cautiously toward the dark opening.

Another interesting day.

**

Kaylee was still in the engine room, not knowing whether to hide, what might be required of her. Mal had just drawn his gun, out the door posthaste and leaving her with no idea what's going on. Three days since the last world, Cap and Zoe sleeping in ragged shifts in case of unauthorized boarders, and if it comes to it she'll kill someone to keep the nightmares away.

She looks round nervous, just making sure. Finally shuts the door, locks it tight. Don't let the spacebugs --

She whirls at the sound; paralyzed by fear, indecision.

And glittering eyes.

**

River follows into Serenity's insides, back into the womb; thoughts jumbled worse than before, many voices (souls) growing louder as she approaches their source, barely able to hold on to her self. _Ballet of dead and dying flesh, blood in every color of the rainbow_ , the song of Reavers falling under her blade. It vaguely distracts from the mounting facts in her possession. the sting in her arm, the knowledge that it will take all her skill to redirect this amount of force. The Alliance remade her as fine as possible by human hand and mind, yet she is just a girl. This is something more.

She drops silent into the engine room. Kaylee is huddled under the workbench, clutching a spanner.

Of course there's a shriek, but the mechanic's next instinct is to shout a very unnecessary warning. River just watches the thing in the corner, says _don't hurt the girl_ and Kaylee's eyes grow at hearing Badger's accent again, or something like to it.

The intruder recognizes also, or at least responds. Limps out of the shadows, stands quivering all over, staring back as if River were a distorted mirror.

"I don't know you."

River holds out a hand.

"Not yet."

**

Working together, they tease most of it out. She came to Serenity while asleep, detoured to the future while Andrew's Angels were transporting her from Los Angeles. Woke up in the cargo bay behind some crates. Heard, saw Jayne; thought it was Kindel. He's lucky to be alive and in one piece.

River tells them all of this, in so many words, while their newest passenger lies on the exam table, clutching pitifully at her hand for reassurance and constantly glancing at the unused restraining straps. Eyes wide and jerky, it might remind Mal of a spooked horse if he hadn't already constructed this mental image of something more like a dragon. At which River glares like he's hurting her brain, shakes her head when he can't help but wonder --

"Can barely hear _herself_ think," she snaps. Mal backs off, doesn't leave the room though part of him is afraid like never before. River loves him all the more for it, but right now the girl (which one?) has too many things on her mind.

Simon is thoroughly grateful that Dana declines the medication politely, after staring at him until his skin itches. Particularly when River solemnly informs him that he nearly had his throat ripped out. In a way they are Reavers in his eyes, only beautiful, glorious; if anyone can help this young woman it is his sister. That alone gives him the strength to stand back, to trust his heart to Kaylee, and watch this strange new dance. River hears it all in his eyes, but the legions in Dana's mind are louder still, and she despairs.

Sometimes a thing gets broke, can't be fixed.

**

Inara dreams of conquest in lavish color, grand schemes that take centuries to come to fruition. The Companion is equally helpful on waking, fills in the gaps for River despite herself, resisting the urge to swear the girl to secrecy, administer the blood oaths to an outsider in some vain effort to rationalize her betrayal of those vows. Her burden is eased when it's apparent that River had already deciphered a good deal of it herself, and before puberty; returns, when she realizes she cannot betray River by reporting her to the Guild; and becomes grim certainty that the inner circle already know River's identity, abilities, and very likely much more. Most of the necessary information is already in the Alliance database, every human born on the core planets genetically profiled before birth -- even before conception, not just for the wealthy but the middle classes -- irrevocably catalogued seconds after entering the world. But Dana is something new (old).

As far as the 'verse is concerned, she doesn't exist.

With incense and ritual, they piece together more history from the multitudes within her, Inara's knowledge, and what River can decipher. Naturally this last comes translated into its own code, as for instance when Dana becomes someone who calls herself Melaka, and River says,

"Monsters went away."

"That's what mine said. 'Til I killed him." The new girl stares around the shuttle, at its rich furnishings, back at River. "So you guys are grabbers? Need another hand, I'm the best in the business."

"I'm better."

Melaka scoffs. "I could take you out so fast --"

"Not about strength," River interrupts. "About power."

Inara's shoulders tense as Melaka squints and leans forward, staring at River as if trying to see through fog.

"Can't be Called," River helpfully points out. "Potential only. But you --"

And Dana returns -- by now they both can tell, so many subtle cues.

"Slayer."

**

Mal's not impressed, or at least is straight up front and blunt: *You want to stay on this boat, what can you do to earn your keep?* Dana's surprised, taken aback, stands a little straighter under his gaze.

"Strong."

A wry curl of his lip. "Mayhap you got more muscle than little albatross. But she's a damn sight more useful."

Dana rolls her eyes, much like said albatross. "Reader."

"Ain't talkin' 'bout that. Girl knows what's real and what ain't, knows right from wrong. What about you?" His gaze narrows. "I take you out on a job, I gotta worry about you endin' me and mine, along with them fixin' to kill us? Just because you don't know when to stop?"

River watches and doesn't interrupt. Thinks of bullets and brainpans, and things that go squish.

**

Dana watches River at the helm, guiding Serenity through the black; strapping on her new gun, in preparation for a job. When her thoughts fly smooth she marvels at her surroundings, like the ones in her head who grew wide-eyed at a faucet or light switch, and the crew in turn marvel at their fluidity as she and River chase each other around the cargo bay, Kaylee sometimes finding the nerve to join in. On bad days her brain works too well, leading to thinking they should kill her just to find out if a new Slayer will be Called, one who can be healthy and sane, before River turns and looks at her in misery and stark disapproval and there will be no more of that, thank you.

Then one day it goes haywire, and every time she looks at her young teacher she splits all over again, crying _sin_ and _damnation_ and something louder that can only be _yes_. River follows her to the cargo bay, sensibly steers her away from the safety lock, fights her for hours in a frenzy of clashing swords (first thing she wanted, when they went to the blacksmith), only-human girl pushing herself to the limit to keep up until Dana stops just as she collapses, catching her falling form, bearing her to the infirmary for rehydration.

Simon bustles around, not quite frantic, as Dana sits on the counter and watches unable to speak, more than ever to say. When River opens her eyes, the first thing they see is each other.

"You're not a monster."

Dana looks away, as much as saying, _Quit reading me._

"Not reading." River reaches out to her, across the oceans. "Telling."

**


End file.
